Guardian
by darklady919
Summary: The sequel to Shinigami. Duo, Heero, and the rest of the pilots have completed their training. Now, they must use their powers as Guardians to protect against the misuse of magic. Eventual slash.
1. Prologue

Hi!

Well, since most of my readers from_ Shinigami_ asked for a sequel, here it is. _Guardian_ takes place 1000 years after _Shinigami_, and explanations **are** what this prologue and chapter 1 are for. Please read and review, and I hope you all like _Guardian_!

The Prologue of _Guardian_ is rather like the Prologue of _Shinigami_ – kinda dry and boring. Sorry.

If you have not read _Shinigami_, I highly suggest that you do so, as you will be very lost while reading this story. If you have read it, then the prologue is a very much-shortened highlight of what happened in _Shinigami_ and in the 1000-year gap, though Ch. 1 will help more with that.

Thanks to my new beta, moonpixi.

Disclaimer: I was sailing the seven seas, when suddenly I spied the dread Pirate Red Beard. After the battle was over, and he had boarded my ship, he took **me** into his office/cabin, and showed me a map to a secret island, where there was a treasure greater than all eternity. I stole the map snuck out in the life boat, and navigated to the island by using the stars to guide me, and no food for four weeks, and all I got is $872,000,000 worthless doubloons, and a map, which shows me to yet another clue to owning Gundam Wing!

Enjoy!

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Guardian

1000 years have passed since the death of the High Queen.

1000 years ago, the High Queen died in a battle with a woman named Eileen, the self-proclaimed "Queen of Demons". The High Queen left behind her eight reborn Guardians, the strongest of whom became High King in her absence.

In the time since the Lady's death, the High King – also the Guardian of the element of Fire and the former Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy – has been traveling to the different worlds to protect their people and the elements from misuse of magic, which is a very high crime. The remaining seven Guardians were brought to the world of Virilia, the place where the High Monarchs reign and the Guardians base themselves to train in using their newly re-discovered powers.

The Guardian of the elements of Air and Lightning, former Gundam Pilot Duo Maxwell, is not just a Guardian. He is also a Shinigami – a member of a race of beings who were created by Death to hunt those who are evil and assassinate them. When his sister, the oldest Shinigami and the High Queen, died, Duo was left with the job of leading the Shinigami along with the being known as Kitten – Death's daughter. Duo is known as Gami when he is acting as a Shinigami, and his sister was known as Shina.

The Guardians of Air (or Lightning), Earth, Empathy (or Heart), Mind, Fighting, Chaos, and Healing have all finished their training at the end of the thousand years. Now, they must do what the Lady did before them and the High King does now – protect the people of the worlds… and though they may not know it, the elements themselves…

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Well, what do you all think? I know it's short, but it's only a prologue, and I am in the process of writing chapter 1, which should be longer. Sorry!

Please review. It really does make me write faster, and without them I can be a long time between updates…

DarkLady


	2. Chapter 1

Hi!

Sorry for such a short prologue, but hopefully this will make up for it. However, it could also be boring, as I put in long descriptions of the Advisors. But don't worry! It will never happen again!

Disclaimer: I don't own G.W.

Any characters that are mine are just that – mine. If you want to use them, then please ask.

Enjoy!

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Guardian

Duo sat, waiting for Heero to come "home". "Home" was now the world of Virilia. Heero had brought Duo and the other pilots here with the help of Leanne, Yudisey, and Gene a few months after Virginia's death.

It had been 1000 years.

Duo sighed. While he and the others had been living here for that long, Heero hadn't been. He had only stayed for the first few months, making sure that the rest of the group was settled in. Then, he had announced that he would be leaving to continue with what Virginia and the Shinigami had been doing – guarding against the misuse of magic.

Duo smiled as he remembered the event.

_Flashback_

"_But you have had no formal training. How do you expect to accomplish this?" The silver-haired, blue-eyed man that Duo recognized from his dreams asked. He was the Advisor to the Water Guardian, named Gingivere. _

_Heero looked at the Advisor. "I have all the memories of my previous life. I am capable of doing my job, and I will succeed in doing it." He leveled a look at Gingivere that said he would not stand for any arguments, no matter how well intentioned._

_The nine elemental Advisors looked at each other, while the Guardians hid smiles and chuckles. They all knew Heero well enough by now to know that he would not be giving in. Finally, Nia, the Healing Advisor, spoke up._

"_We will allow this on one condition – you must beat us all in a magical and physical fight, all at once." She said. _

_Heero nodded as though he had expected nothing else. "Where would you like to have it, and when?" _

"_The arena will do, and now is a good time. Let's go"_

_The arena was very different from the rest of the city. It had none of the hanging plants or small waterfalls and pools that were everywhere else. There weren't even any bushes. The building itself was a large dome near the palace. It was made out of the same white material as everything else, but it was spelled to behave differently. People could walk through it, unless a duel or bout was in session, in which case strong shield kept watchers out and spells in. To the people fighting inside, the walls were semi-transparent. To watchers, it was like looking through clear crystal, so they could watch the duels. None of the other buildings behaved this way; they were all opaque. _

_Heero stood in the middle of this arena with the nine Advisors surrounding him. He looked around at them calmly at them for a few seconds, the shut his eyes. "What are the rules?" He asked._

"_It is pretty much anything goes." Gingivere replied. "Anything short of killing or maiming your opponents is allowed. The battle will continue until one side is unable to fight anymore. Easy enough."_

_Heero nodded, and opened his eyes. Again, he looked at his opponents. "I'm ready." He said._

_Ambryn, the Fighting Advisor, nodded. "Then on my mark, we will begin." He said. Then, calling out in a louder voice, "Three… Two… One… Fight!" _

_Nothing happened._

_Heero smirked. "I win." He stated._

_Ambryn blinked. "I can't move."_

"_Neither can I." Nia sounded shocked. The others all seemed to agree._

_Suddenly, Gingivere's eye's widened in shock. "I can't use my magic. It's… it's like… it's like the magic won't respond to me. I can feel it inside me, I still have the ability, but I can't control it and I can't use it!"_

"_That would be my fault." Heero stated calmly. He had not moved yet, either._

"_What have you done?" Kara, the Air Advisor, asked in a kind of horrified shock._

"_I have simply asked the elementals to not obey any of you."_

_They all stared at him._

"_Is… that even possible?" Asked Ambryn. "To speak directly to the elementals – the living core of the elements – themselves?"_

"_It is." Gingivere's voice sounded shaken. "But as far as I know, none of the previous Guardians have ever been able to do it. It takes an extremely powerful mage to be able to bypass the system and do it, though. We have never come across those who were strong enough, not even the Guardians, and they have always been the strongest of all mages."_

"_I win." Heero said again. "I stopped you all from using magic. And because I didn't use a shield, you cannot break it. It was very easy to place a paralysis spell on all of you, and without magic you cannot even break that simple spell." _

_Silence._

"_Gingivere… I think this can be considered a 'pass'." Sarah, the Fire Advisor, spoke up. "We must let him go."_

_End Flashback_

Duo smiled thinking back on the memory. Heero had whipped the Advisors, and without even blinking.

But ever since then, Heero had been back only four times in the 1000 year period, and only for short periods of time – usually not more than a year.

Thinking over the memory brought up another memory of an even earlier event, one that had taken place when they had first come to Virilia.

They had met the Advisors.

_Flashback_

_Duo looked around. The eight of them had just arrived at the world Heero called "Virilia". From what he could see, they had arrived next to a large pool with a fountain in the middle. All the buildings and other constructions were made out of some white material. Plants were everywhere. _

"_Do you like it?"_

_Duo turned around to look at the speaker. Then he looked again. It was the same man from his dreams! _

"_I am Lord Gingivere, the Water Advisor. Welcome to Virilia." The man – Gingivere – said._

_He was tall, with short silver hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing something that reminded Duo of the robes and stuff that you would see in movies like Lord of the Rings. He was wearing a sea blue tunic with a silver belt. The boots were the same color as the tunic, and his leggings were a lighter shade of blue with the silk shirt under the tunic the same color. Over the whole thing was a robe of a darker blue with silver embroidery. On his right hand was a silver ring set with a blue sapphire. _

"_If you would come with me," the man continued, "I would like to bring you to meet the others." _

"_What others?" asked Quatre._

"_And what is a 'Water Advisor'?" Trowa asked._

_Gingivere smiled slightly. "I will tell you that when we get where we are going."_

"_What if we wanted to know right now?" Wufei demanded._

"_Then I would have to say that you need to learn patience." Gingivere commented, ignoring the shocked look that came over Wufei's face. "Now, will you please follow me? Leanne, Yudisey, Gene, it is good to see you again." The three murmured soft greetings to him, bowing slightly. _

_The pilots all looked at Heero for instruction. Heero simply smiled ever so slightly, and said, "If the Lord Gingivere wants us to follow him, then we will."_

_Gingivere looked at Heero and simply nodded, then turned and began to go down a path to what looked to be the largest building in sight. They all looked at each other, and when Heero began to follow the others all followed as well. They followed the path for a few minutes, looking at the beautiful scenery as they went. Finally they came out into a courtyard that had another fountain in it. Just beyond the courtyard was the large building. It looked like it was about three stories high, and stretched horizontally all over the place._

"_This is the main palace building. The whole complex is over five square miles large. You will all live in the complex while you are here." Gingivere commented. He led them all inside through a huge archway, and then through a large pair of doors that were open. The building was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. More fountains, large windows, and leafy plants were everywhere. Large, open spaces were prevalent. Gingivere led them into a large room._

_There were eight people already in the room. Gingivere walked over and stood between the two groups. _

"_The Lady Sarah, the Fire Advisor." Gingivere said. A woman with bright red hair and gold colored eyes stepped forward. She wore a red silk skirt with a gold belt and a red top. Gold-ish boots could be seen from under the dress. Her red hair was braided and had several clips in it. She had ruby earrings and a gold and ruby necklace. She gave a slight bow, and then stepped back again._

"_The Lady Kara, the Air Advisor." A woman who had been sitting down now stood up and stepped forward. Duo blinked; the short-ish blond hair and chocolate brown eyes marked her as the other person from the dreams. She wore a long yellow silk dress with a copper colored belt. Simple copper bands encircled her throat, and she wore one earring with a yellow colored stone. She wore brown boots. She, too, bowed, and then returned to her original position. _

"_The Lady Eika, the Emphatic Advisor." A woman with semi-long smoky gray hair that hung in curls down her back stepped forward. Silver eyes greeted them. The white silk skirt had two layers, as did the sleeves on the top. Her belt was silver, and had three diamonds set in it. Another single earring on her left ear was in the shape of a sword, with a diamond as part of the hilt. White high heels were barely visible. This lady curtseyed before returning to her chair._

"_The Lady Falor, the Psychic Advisor." A woman with dark purple colored hair and deep violet eyes stepped up. Her hair was half up, and half down. The silk dress that matched the color of her hair was more low cut than the others, and had no sleeves. A purple shawl rested around her shoulders. The gold belt had one large amethyst. She, too, curtseyed, and returned to her seat._

"_The Lady Ji, the Earth Advisor." Gingivere's voice held a hint of exasperation on the word "Lady". Short, green hair and bright green eyes smiled at them as this lady walked forward. She wore a bright green shirt that went off the shoulders, darker green high-heeled boots, a green skirt with six slits that almost went up to the belt showed green pants underneath, and a copper belt. There were two emerald earrings and a copper band around her neck with another emerald. She gave a flashy bow before returning to her place. _

"_The Lord Ambryn, the Fighting Advisor." A man with sandy brown hair and amber colored eyes stepped forward. He had a light brown tunic and boots, very light brown leggings and shirt, gold belt, and a dark brown robe over the ensemble. He had an amber ring on his right hand, and one amber earring on his right ear. He bowed, and stepped back._

"_The Lord Baine, the Chaos Advisor." A man with longish blue, green, and purple hair stepped forward. His eyes looked yellow, red, and orange at the same time, but still separate. His tunic was yellow, his boots were red, and his leggings were orange. His belt was copper. His robe was mostly blue, but with green and purple accents. He sported one large opal earring. Duo was struck by the thought that he looked like a chaotic mess, but still managed to pull it off. He bowed and returned to his former place. _

"_And the Lady Nia, the Healing Advisor." The last woman stood up. She had long, black, strait hair and black eyes. Her simple black dress was silk and had a silver belt. Her silver necklace was set with a red-speckled green jasper – or a bloodstone. Two pieces of onyx served as earrings, and black high-heels for shoes. She gave a small bow, and returned to her seat. _

"_We are the nine Advisors of the Guardians, one for each element. As I have already told you, I am the Water Advisor. We have been around since the first Guardians, and will teach you what we know. What do we do? Well, we teach, we advise the Guardian to whom we are sworn, and in his or her absence, we make decisions for them. We also all advise the current ruler of the Circle." Gingivere looked at Heero. "That would be you, correct?"_

_Heero simply nodded. _

"_Well, as I am sure that you are all tired, I will let each of your Advisors take you to your rooms. We will all talk again, but not now. Food will be brought up to you, and the servants can help you with anything you need. Good day."_

_The Advisors all went to their corresponding Guardian. The Lady in yellow – Kara, Duo remembered – walked towards Duo. She smiled._

"_Duo, you can come with me. I will bring you to your room." She said. _

_Duo looked around, and saw the others all filing out of the room through various doors. Then he saw Gingivere, who was looking at a raised platform, on which nine chairs rested. Each chair had a different symbol on the back, etched into different colored gems. The middle chair was raised one more step than the others. It had the red gem._

"_It… has recently been changed. The blue one – the one directly to the left – used to be in the middle. But when Heero became High King, the thrones switched themselves. And don't worry too much about Gingivere. He is still getting over the fact that he lost his Guardian, and it simply one more reminder." Kara commented sadly. "Come with me, Duo. We are the last to leave."_

_End Flashback_

Duo sighed. After that, Gingivere never spoke that much again at one time. He remained mostly in the background, giving advice only when asked, or when he felt he had to. He had to wonder if Gingivere had been like that when Virginia was still around – a silent shadow. The other Advisors would not tell him.

Kara, on the other hand, was probably the best thing that happened to him.

They had found out quickly that the Advisors were also like parents. They loved their Guardians completely, and did everything a parent would do. For years after Virginia had died and Heero had left, Duo had had horrible nightmares. Kara was always there for him – she woke him up from them, and managed to get him back to a peaceful sleep. They and Nia would take care of them if they were sick or hurt – and it happened a lot during training.

Training.

Thank God it was over now. For the past 1000 years, the Guardians had been put through physical, mental, political, and magical training of the highest order. It was exhausting, and often the reason for a sick Guardian was that he or she had simply gotten run down.

But now it was over, and Duo was determined not to think of it.

Heero, from what Duo had seen of him over the years, had also changed. Again, Duo reflected on how he had only seen Heero a handful of times since he had left in the first place – Kara always shrugged and said it was because he was a Guardian. Sometimes Duo wondered if the only reason Heero had come back at all was because he was the High King, and certain decisions and rulings required him.

It made him sad to think that Heero might not care for them.

But back to the reason he was sitting in that large courtyard in the first place:

Heero was coming home today!

It was because Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Leanne, Yudisey, and Gene had all finished their training. The Advisors had decided that they could now go out and do what Heero was doing without ki lling themselves. So Heero was coming to collect them and start them off on their first missions.

Just then, Heero appeared in the courtyard.

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Yay! Done!

How did you all like it?

Please read and review. I promise it will get better from hear on out.

DarkLady


	3. Chapter 2

Hello!

No, I'm not dead, really. I've just been really busy. As a result this may not be a great chapter, but they will get better as I get going. I promise.

Thank you thank you thank you! to all of you who reviewed, I love you all for it.

Please keep on reviewing!

Thanks to my beta, moonpixi, who also pushed for me to write this chapter. You could all probably give her a thank you, because it may have been another week or so before you saw this chapter.

Disclaimer: I went to Africa and went through rituals and torture to get to the sacred cave of something – I don't remember any more. But the rights to owning Gundam Wing were not there.

Enjoy!

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Guardian

"Hey! Heero!" Duo said happily, standing up and waving to his friend.

Heero looked over at Duo and smiled ever-so-slightly at him before walking over to him. "Duo." He said by means of greeting. Then he paused slightly, as if he didn't quite know what to say. "How are you?" He finally asked.

"Good." Duo chirped. "How are you?"

"Fine." Heero cocked his head to the side slightly. "Where are the others?" He asked.

"Who? Guardians? Advisors? The people next door?"

"Guardians, Duo."

"Don't know."

"How about the Advisors?"

"Don't know that, either."

Heero sighed. "Then why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

Duo grinned. "You didn't ask about the people next door."

_Do I want to?_ Heero thought, before a voice answered his question.

"Because he's _Duo_. Isn't that explanation enough?"

Duo grinned at Quatre, who joined them on the path. "But it wouldn't be any fun around here without me around, Cat!" He laughed.

Heero sighed and shook his head. "Come on. I want to get all the Guardians together so I can explain what's going to happen next."

_And hopefully we won't have any problems._

1111111111111111111111111111111111

Two hours and a lot of searching and mind calls later, as well as an impromptu game of tag, all eight living Guardians were sitting on chairs, couches, and the floor of one of the "living" rooms in the palace. All of the others had been very happy to see Heero again, alive and in one piece, and they wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Heero looked around at the Guardians from his seat in a big, comfy chair. Duo was sitting on the armrest of said chair; Quatre and Trowa were sitting on a smaller couch together. Wufei was sitting in a chair very much like the one Heerowas in with Leanne on the floor at his feet, and Gene was sitting on a couch with Yudisey sitting on the back of it. "I'm pretty sure you all know why I'm here, and why you're here." He began.

He was cut off by Duo. "Then skip that part."

Heero shot a glare at Duo before continuing. "You are all going to go to different worlds – in pairs, for the first few missions, for safety purposes. The pairs are as follows: Gene with Yudisey, Leanne with Wufei, Trowa with Quatre, and Duo with me."

"Makes sense." Gene commented.

"Are you the only one that can control the braided baka?" Yudisey asked dryly while Duo stuck his tongue out at the woman who had taught him the basics of magic.

Heero, however, frowned slightly. "Be nice, Yudisey."

She shrugged.

"So." Trowa said. "Where are we going, and when?" he asked.

"And what are we doing there?" continued Quatre.

"You'll see."

Duo winced. Way back when, during the wars, that phrase coming from Heero had never meant anything good was going to happen.

"Come on, 'Ro." He pleaded, trying to get Heero to relent. "We want to know."

"No." came the stern refusal along with a stern look that brooked no argument.

Duo pouted, but it had no effect. Heero simply continued on. "It would be – beneficial – if all of you spent the next week resting and gathering strength. The first missions I have chosen for you are not impossibly difficult, but they are not ridiculously easy, either. You're strength will be needed. Until we leave, I will be around in case any of you need me. Any questions right now?" No one answered. "Then I will see you all around. Good day." He stood up to leave.

"But, Heero –!" Duo started, only to be cut off.

_: Patience is a virtue, Duo. :_

Duo shut his mouth. His sister had not "spoken" to him very much in the years since she had died, but when she did it was with advice that was to be listened to. Duo waited, to see if she would say anything else, shutting out all other things. After a few minutes of nothing, he gave up and looked up.

He was alone in the room.

"Well, how nice of them to wait." He commented to himself, and went off to go get some food.

11111111111111111111111111111111111111

_So… what now? C_

_They will begin their missions. J_

_That's not what he meant. L_

_Heero will lead them. G_

_He does not have the experience that the Queen does. J_

_It makes no difference. B_

_He must lead them. F_

_There is no other option. R_

_What will we do? D_

_We will watch. M _ - (1)

111111111111111111111111111111111111

The week actually went by pretty quickly. Heero had told them that they did not need to prepare anything other than their strength, so they all simply spent the week resting and being with each other, storing their strength, and playing.

Although they could all still sense that Heero was in the palace at all times, they actually saw very little of him. He never showed up for meals, and he seemed to be avoiding them when they all got together. Throughout the whole week they only managed to catch glimpses of him.

Eventually, though, the week came to an end.

_/ Duo. /_

Duo curled up a bit more, pulling the covers close to him, flatly ignoring the mind speech.

_/ Duo. /_

He put his head under his pillow, trying even harder to avoid the exasperated tone and the mental nudge that went with it.

_/ DUO/_

A mental shove greeted him this time, one strong enough to physically push him off the bed and onto the floor.

_Hey! What was that for! I was SLEEPING, Heero/_ he mentally shouted back. _/ I thought you WANTED us to rest/_

_/ Duo, you are the last one awake. Besides that, the others have all left. We are the only two still here, and I am growing tired of waiting for you. GET UP. /_ came Heero's exasperated mind voice, sounding annoyed as well_. / And this is a bad time to start resting, today is the day we leave. / _

Duo scramble to get dressed. Of all days to be late. _He could have found a better way to wake me up, though. _

_/ I heard that. /_

Duo sent a mental picture of him sticking out his tongue as he rushed out of the room. _/ So where are the others/_ he asked.

_/ I already told you. They are gone. On their missions, if you want to know. /_

Duo stopped dead in his tracks. _/ GONE? GONE WHERE/_ he mentally shouted at Heero.

_/ Gone on their missions, Duo. Don't shout. /_

_/ How come you all let me sleep/_ Duo cried, taking off down the hall again.

_/ Duo. Do you really think we didn't try to wake you up/_

_/ Ummm… / _

Heero gave another exasperated sigh. _/ We gave up after the 60th attempt. You were sleeping like a rock. /_

_/ So you all just decided to let me sleep/ _

_/ Umm… yeah. /_ came Heero's reply. _/ But don't worry. Once we're out in the field, it won't happen again. /_

Duo blinked.

_/ Not THAT way, damn it/_ Heero yelped, picking up the mental picture Duo had conjured up. _/ Be appropriate! Now come here/ _

_/ Where are we going/_ Duo asked, snickering. _/ And where are the others/ _

Heero sighed. _/ Gene and Yudisey went to Kashi, Wufei and Leanne went to Anigua, and Quatre and Trowa went to Flaye. We are going to Milish. /_

Milish? _/ What kind of a name is _Milish?

_/ I didn't name it, Duo. You'll see what kind of a place it is when we get there. /_ He paused. _/ Where are you? You should have been here three minutes ago. / _

Duo grinned to himself. _/ Caught. Damn. I'm getting coffee. / _

Heero was silent for a few seconds, as if he didn't quite know what to make of that. Then, _/ Duo. COME. HERE. NOW. /_

Duo grabbed the just finished coffee right before the compulsion set in. _/ Hey! I was coming/ _He protested as his body started walking without his control.

_/ Not fast enough. At least now I now for sure when you'll get here. /_ Heero stated.

_/ Is that _smugness_ I hear? From_ Heero? _/ I still got my coffee. / _

_/ I know. Quite honestly, I don't care, either. It's beyond the point. Just come here. /_

Duo took a long sip of the coffee. _Well, at least I get to keep it._

He walked in silence the rest of the way, though he could still sense Heero in the back of his head. Though that could have just been from the compulsion. Finally he felt it lessening as he neared his destination. He walked into a smallish courtyard with a fountain, where Heero was sitting.

And kept on walking.

Heero grabbed his arm to keep him from walking into the fountain. "You forgot to stop walking." He commented dryly.

Duo shrugged and took another few sips of his coffee.

"Are you almost done with that?"

Duo nodded from around the cup.

Heero sighed. "Hurry up, Duo. We are late."

Duo took a last few sips of the coffee, finishing it off. " So," he started, sending the cup back to the kitchen with a mental nudge, ignoring Heero's raised eyebrow, "When are we going?"

"Now, Duo. We're leaving now."

Duo blinked. "How are we getting there?"

"We are teleporting ourselves." Heero explained patiently.

"Oh."

Heero shook his head, holding out a gloved hand for Duo to take. "Come on, Duo."

Duo took the hand, and felt Heero bring them into the cold nothingness that existed between worlds.

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(1) – No, you don't know what this is. Let's just say each letter after each statement stands for a different voice. There are nine – B, C, D, F, G, J, L, M, and R. This whole section is just voices. No pictures. **(These are the creepy guys whose identity will be revealed in a later chapter /eerie music in the background/) - moonpixi**

Finished. How did you all like that?

Sorry it was a bit short, but at least things are sort of moving now. The chapters will hopefully get better and better from here on out. **And come more quickly! - moonpixi**

For those that haven't noticed, those comments in bold are from moonpixi, not me.

Thanks for reading!

Dark Lady


	4. Chapter 3

Hi!

Wow, thank you all for the reviews! I love love Love LOVE reviews!

Yeah, sorry for the long times between updates, but I had AP exams at my school and I had to take two of them. But now I should have more time.

And, oh look! Is that moonpixi I see with a whip standing over there?

Disclaimer: I decided to pull my couch apart in my desperate attempt to find the rights to owning Gundam Wing. They were, unfortunately, not there.

Yeah… so enjoy!

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Guardian

_Cold._

_Dark._

_Nothing._

_Then –_

_Thousands of stars!_

_The place between worlds._

_A twist of mind –_

_Look for the one, grab it – _

_Hold._

_Then pull – _

_What?_

_Who watches?_

_Anger!_

Who da- 

_/Duo/_

_Pull!_

_Light…_

11111111111111111111111111111

"Duo!"

Duo opened his eyes, finding himself lying on the ground, which was very black and shiny. Heero was kneeling on one knee next to him, touching his shoulder with one hand. He looked like he was having trouble deciding whether to be worried for or angry at Duo.

"Ow…" Duo muttered, pushing himself up to a semi-sitting position.

"What was _that_?" Heero hissed. Anger seemed to be winning over worry.

Duo tried to think around the pounding in his head. "What was what?" he asked, confused.

" 'What was what?' What was that! You almost got Lost! Do you realize how very dead you would have been had you stayed in Limbo (1) any longer?" Heero hissed again at Duo, for once pretty much loosing his mostly calm demeanor.

"Umm… no?"

"Duo." Heero's voice went deathly calm. "What could have possibly possessed you to stay in Limbo that long?"

"I don't remember." The world was starting to spin. "Ask me again in a few days." Duo moaned, shutting his eyes and laying back down.

Heero gave a disgusted sigh. "Headache? Serves you right for doing something so incredibly stupid. I know the first thing they tell you in regards to Limbo is to not stay in for longer than you have to. Duo no baka."

Heero jumped up on a 10-foot rock jutting out of the ground. For a few minutes, there was silence.

"Where are we?" Duo moaned from where he lay.

Heero spared Duo a glare from his vantage point. "Milish. If you bothered to look around, you would see that the whole planet is made of this shiny black rock. Most of it is flat, but little 'groves' of boulders and rocks such as what we are in are sprinkled all over the place. Crushing the rocks makes what little soil there is, but it is a long and expensive process to make the soil, though it is extremely fertile. Water is drawn up by wells from under ground –"

"Please Heero, not right now." Duo cut in, pleading. "My head is killing me."

"Gee, I wonder why." Heero snorted.

"Please, just – not right now." Duo whimpered.

"Hn."

Another silence took over. Heero suddenly took his eyes off the landscape and looked at Duo.

"Duo. Do you know what our true purpose is?"

"Heero –"

"Now."

"…"

"Do you know why we are called Guardians?"

"Because we guard. I don't know, Heero."

Heero sighed. "Demons, Duo. Our true purpose is to protect others from demons. If there are no demons, then there are rules that keep us from interfering in the affairs of the inhabitants of the worlds. You must remember that no matter how bad things are, we must only use our powers to keep the demons in line."

"Mhm…"

"Duo?"

"…"

Heero sighed. Sleep would probably be good for Duo, but still. Duo needed to know.

He looked back out over the barren landscape. Far, far to the west he could just barely make out the lights of a settlement. Hopefully, help would come soon – preferably before night came. Nights were not pleasant things on Milish.

He looked back at Duo, who was out cold. He would probably be like that for the next day or so while he recovered his strength. That was the problem with Limbo. It drained your strength until you had nothing left.

Heero looked around. No one was coming. He jumped into Limbo.

_Nothing. _

_Cold._

_Stars._

_But… still nothing._

He jumped back out.

He could, of course, sense _them_. But they were no longer active, and lay "sleeping" in Limbo. They had died a long time ago. A full circle of Guardians had decided not to die by Final Strike, but to defy Fate and to fade into oblivion by going into Limbo and simply not coming out. Only the High King or Queen could sense them, what little bits of them that remained still in Limbo. But they were inactive, dormant, "sleeping", dead. Duo could not have been so distracted by what he did not sense.

So what had caused him to stay?

Heero sighed again. It was a question that required Duo, and currently Duo was un-accessible.

In a way.

Heero used a touch of water magic to change their clothing to things more commonly found on Milish. It would do them no good to be found in clothing that screamed "foreigner". He might as well wear a big sign that said "shoot me now", as the clothing on Milish was pretty much the same everywhere, and what they had been wearing was in no way shape or form anything like the very simple, plain clothing that the people of the world wore.

Again, he scanned the horizon. The lights were still there, and he judged dusk to be a good hour away still. The thought struck Heero that it would probably be very bad for Duo to suffer through a night on Milish in his weakened state.

Figures. I put all that emphasis on gathering strength, and Duo manages to use it before we even get here.

Still, having said that, Milish's nights dropped to temperatures well below freezing and the wind was almost sharp enough to cut. The little "grove" they were in would provide some cover, but would it be enough? Heero's Element would automatically keep him warm enough, and Duo's would protect him from the wind, but they could not share those innate defenses.

_The chance that Duo's going to come out of this sick is about 87.3, due to the severe drop in strength because of Limbo and the night were are about to have. _

Heero blinked at himself.

_Damn, I thought I had stopped thinking in percents._

Again Heero scanned the horizon, holding out some hope that someone would come before night swept in. However, with only an hour to go, he knew it wasn't likely. And he didn't dare take them out of the shelter of the rocks. _That_ would be suicide.

So he waited.

And waited.

With about 15 minutes left to go till dusk, Heero gave up. He jumped down and placed Duo in the shelter of two of the largest rocks before settling down near him.

_/ Vir, if you're listening, you'd better do something _really _nice for him. You know, in payment for all the dreams you sent. Maybe by keeping him unconscious through this, because it won't be pleasant for him if he wakes up. /_

He could have sworn he heard something like… like… well, something. But with Virginia it could be really hard to tell, considering she had become part of the Ether about 1000 years ago.

He'd just have to wait and see.

Because frankly, he knew personally what these nights could be like, and he was going to be busy trying to keep the pain of the winds at bay. If Duo woke up, he didn't want to listen to the former pilot as he tried to keep from freezing to death.

Night fell like an axe.

1111111111111111111111111111111111

_Poor dears. J_

_Stuck all by themselves on Milish. L_

_It's not impossible to survive the night. F_

_No, just close to it. B_

_They have their defenses. R_

_One, protection against Wind. B_

_The other, protection against Cold. D_

_Both Elements run rampant in the night. G_

They cannot each protect against both. C 

_One will freeze while the other is cut to shreds. L_

_He called to Her for protection. R_

_They will survive. F_

_It would do well for the rest of you to remember that they are still Guardians, no matter what else. Silence, all of you. They do not need your help. Let me rest, if you do not wish to. M_

1111111111111111111111111111111111

About 12 hours later, Heero was mentally and physically exhausted. Duo had – thank whatever deity was watching over them – not woken up during the night. And they were both still breathing. Always a positive.

However, from what he could sense from Duo, his partner's temperature had gone up, and he had not stopped shaking from cold when the morning came.

Great.

He sensed a slight resentment from _something_, and a sense of waiting _for_ something –

_/ Thank you, Lady. /_

Something like appeasement came back, and Her presence faded completely. Heero was struck by the notion that if a Shinigami found him with Duo like this, he was going to have to talk very, very fast.

Heero tiredly climbed back up the rock. This was not how he had wanted to spend his first night here.

Actually, it had not been as bad as last time. Perhaps being in close proximity to each other had helped them a little?

What is that? 

It looked like people from the settlement he had seen last night were coming their way. That was good. He glanced back down at Duo, who was still unconscious on the ground.

He waved tiredly at the group, and was pleased when he got a wave in return. The group also seemed to quicken its pace.

Heero jumped down off the rock, landing a little clumsily. _ I must be more tired than I thought. _He settled himself next to Duo to wait, judging them to be about 15 minutes away.

_I'm very good at that_, he thought tiredly when, about 15 minutes later, voices calling out hailed him.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

_Thank you_. "We are here." Heero stated, standing up. Slowly.

A man dressed in practically the same white/gray clothing Heero and Duo wore appeared around a rock. He had black, black hair and emerald/gold eyes. He looked slightly worried.

"Did you both spend the night here?" The man asked.

Heero nodded. "We were caught without shelter, as my friend here was not well. I fear that his condition has only grown worse thanks to the night." He said, indicating Duo on the ground.

The man's eyes widened, and he looked back over his shoulder. "Fey, I've got one sick and one injured." He turned back to Heero. "My name is Kel."

Heero blinked, before realizing that the wind had cut him up, and pretty badly, too. _Wind that does physical damage. Lovely_. "I am Heero, and my friend is Duo."

A woman appeared out of nowhere, sapphire/silver eyes framed by short blue/black hair. "Oh dear, what is this? Kel, we need to get them back to the settlement."

The man nodded. "I had gathered that. Come on, we need to get the both of you back to a safer place…"

11111111111111111111111111111111

_Cold… _

_So very cold…_

_They're watching!_

Duo woke up instantly, remembering nothing but a feeling of discomfort and of being very, very cold.

But it was little more than a memory of being cold. He could feel without opening his eyes that he was tightly wrapped in heated blankets in a warm, comfortable bed.

He reached out mentally for Heero. _ / Do I have to get up this time/_

He received a rather sleepy reply. _/ I highly doubt that they'll even let you get up, no matter what I say about it. Now leave me alone. /_ The feeling of "Heero" cut off.

Heero had not seemed worried, so they were probably safe. Duo opened up his eyes. He was in a very white room, with a large window that showed a city outside. From what he could tell, the whole city was mad out of the white material. He seemed to be about four stories up, with the highest building being about 6 or 7 stories up. Red plants were everywhere, and balconies seemed to be everywhere as well.

Everything in his room was white, except for the two red plants sitting in pots in a corner. He could tell he was probably in a medical facility, as the place had a distinct sterile taste to it and there were several monitors that were above him on the bed.

It was… kind of weird, actually.

But he was very, very warm, and he had a feeling that not all of the feeling of being cold was from that dream. Something in him was saying that to get up now would be on the Bad Idea list.

So he curled up and went back to sleep, hoping for no dreams at all this time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

1 – If you look up "limbo" on you get 4 definitions. I am using the word in context to the fourth meaning: "An intermediate place or state." It is what the Immortals call the place between worlds.

You like?

Wow. This was actually a pretty long chapter. I hope you all like it.

Please review!

Dark Lady


	5. Chapter 4

Hi!

Sorry!!! I'm pretty sure most of you have given up on me, including my poor beta, moonpixi, but I've had a horrible case of writers block. But don't worry, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY IF IT KILLS ME!!!!! I PROMISE!!!!!

So just try to stick in there…

Since I have not been writing the names of my reviewers, here they all are:

summersarebright, Jjinks, Serenity Maxwell, tyleet88, deppforever07, Indi-Scarga, Kracken L.W., "us", Arabian, Calli Maxwell, ewitsmoni, and kylynn. Thank you all so much for reviewing!

A special thanks to moonpixi, who is a faithful reviewer and my beta for this fic. Even if she told me she had given up on me.

Disclaimer: if anything is wrong medically, get over it. I don't care; I'm not an expert. And alas! I do not have the rights to Gundam Wing. Amazing, isn't it?

Enjoy!

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Guardian

Duo woke up.

He was still in the room he remembered from before, but he no longer had the feeling of being cold. That was good. Mentally he reached out to touch Heero's mind, but found him sleeping.

_Interesting._

Slowly Duo sat up, shutting his eyes to fight off a brief wave of dizziness. When it passed, he opened his eyes and looked around. What he had previously assumed to be a very large window was actually an open doorway to a small balcony, with two smaller windows on either side. Red plants were, indeed, everywhere. There was no variation in the color – they were all the same vibrant hue of red, though based on the shapes and sizes of the leaves there were quite a few different species.

Returning his gaze to the room itself, his first impression hadn't been that far off. It was a plain white room, with a few monitors above the bed. There were a few more plants than he had originally thought, though, and there was another door on the opposite wall of the balcony.

As he reached out and touched a red vine that had creeped in through one of the windows, he found himself wondering why none of the plants were green.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Duo's head whipped around to the now open door, and then immediately regretted it as his head suddenly started pounding. He shut his eyes in pain as he fell back onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow while waiting for the pain to subside.

"I apologize for startling you, though I would suggest against any sudden movements for the next day or so." The female voice continued. "Actually, I suggest against any movement for the next few moments or so until your head stops pounding."

"Where am I?" Duo ground out. "And who are you?"

"My name is Fey. You are in the Icchi Settlement. Feeling any better?"

Duo winced and opened his eyes to find that the room had stopped spinning. He sat up again, this time very slowly. "Depends. How did I get here?"

The woman standing next to him had short bluish-black hair and sapphire blue eyes that seemed to be streaked with silver. She looked from him up to the monitor above him. "Kel and I found you and your friend four days ago in a rock grove not too far from here. You were frozen half to death and your friend was covered in cuts from a night out in Wind and Cold. Actually, it's amazing that you both survived at all. What does 'depends' mean?"

"'Depends' means just that – it depends. Where is Heero?" He asked.

"Sleeping. Like I said, he was pretty cut up. You were both in need of some rather severe medical attention. What were you two doing out there?" She asked, looking at him again. "Are you both suicidal?

Duo burst into hysterical laughter.

Fey looked at him, confused. "What did I say?"

"Lady, if you had any idea how many times we've been asked that question…" Duo laughed, shaking his head.

She cocked her head to the side. "Perhaps you are just insane…?"

"Nah, we're not that either." He managed to get out. "However, if you were to ask my sister, she'd probably say that I was, and I _do_ have a reputation for being a bit off the wall, so maybe I am. Heero, however, is perfectly sane. Well, as sane as the rest of us, anyway."

"'Us'?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're a group of nine who–"

_/Don't. The inhabitants of worlds are _NOT_ supposed to know who or what you are, or what you're supposed to do. /_

" –… get together a lot." Duo finished, immediately using his mind to scan for the presence of another immortal.

"Oh, that's nice." A gong suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby. Fey looked up. "Well, that's my cue to go. But if you need anything, just press that button, and someone will come. Try and get some sleep."

And with that, she was gone.

Duo barely even murmured a good bye, focusing completely on finding the other immortal; the other _male_ immortal. He stretched out his awareness as far as it could go…

And found nothing.

Interesting… 

111111111111111111111111111111111

"The immortal was right, you know." Heero pointed out. "We are not supposed to tell these people who we really are."

They were both talking about the strange immortal several days after Duo's "encounter" with him. They had both recovered from their night experience very quickly, much to the surprise of the locals. After a short debate over the probability of Heero and Duo's story that they had gotten caught in between settlements at night, their hosts gave them a set of rooms and an offer to stay as long as they liked.

Actually, what confused them the most was the color of Duo's hair, since the people of Milish all had black or dark brown hair with hints of other colors, but they accepted it when Duo said he dyed it.

But they still didn't know who the other had been…

Duo sighed in response. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's beyond the point. I don't really care about what he had to say, what I want to know is who was he, and why won't he answer us when we call?"

Heero shrugged. "It is possible that, whoever he was, he has left this world. Almost all immortals have the power to go from world to world, and he may have simply moved on."

Duo nearly growled in frustration. "But that doesn't explain who he was!"

"Umm… did we come at a bad time?"

Both Heero and Duo turned. Two teenage girls stood in the doorway.

"Not at all. How can I help you?" Duo asked, joker mask firmly in place and grinning like an idiot.

The girls looked passed him to Heero, looking very confused.

Heero just shook his head. "Ignore him, if you can. He's insane. What do you need?"

Duo realized – a bit too late – that he had spoken in the same language he and Heero had been speaking in to thwart any eavesdroppers – Japanese. And while it was good for that, the two girls had absolutely no idea what he had said.

Of course, Heero _could_ have found a better way to step in…

But one of them was already speaking. "Well, my name is Tlea, and her name is Tela. Fey thought that you two would both like to have a tour of Icchi, so she sent us to give you a tour. What do you say?"

Tlea, the girl who had spoken, had short, white, straight hair held back by a white headband. Her eyes had a diamond-esque quality and were streaked with platinum lines. She was very lively and energetic, and seemed unable to really stand still.

The other girl, Tela, barely moved at all. She was, in all ways, the opposite of Tlea. Her hair was long, pitch black, and wavy, and was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her eyes were like pieces of onyx streaked with a brass color. She had yet to say a word, and had it not been for the lighter gray of her clothing she would have almost seemed a shadow.

Heero looked at Duo. _/ What do you think/_

_/ I'm a go. /_ "Damn, you're an oddity on this planet. Not a dark color on you." Duo said to Tlea.

She simply grinned and shrugged.

"I think we'll take you up on the offer of a tour." Heero said. "When will you both be available?"

"Oh, now is fine if you're not busy, or whenever. We have very little going on." Tlea replied.

"Well then, let's go!" Duo said cheerfully, grabbing Heero's arm and pulling him out of his chair. "Though it's going to suck trying to get your names right, they're ridiculously similar. Are you two related at all?" He asked.

"We're twins, actually." Tlea answered, grinning.

"Twins?!?" Duo yelped.

"Yeah, but don't feel bad – no one ever guesses that when they first meet us. Not that we blame them, we neither look nor act the same." She said.

"Indeed." Heero noted dryly, glancing at the still silent Tela.

Tlea looked from Duo to Heero before leading the group out of the room and into the hallway. "Well, let's go! Welcome to Tlea and Tela's Totally Terrifically Timeless Tour. This is the hallway. You'll probably find that there's not much here but white walls and red plants. Moving on…"

111111111111111111111111111111111

"Well 'Ro, what did you think of the girls?" Duo asked, draping himself across a chair after Tlea and Tela had brought them back to their rooms.

"Tlea is very loud and energetic." Heero paused. "Tela is… her sister's exact opposite. She did not speak once during the entire tour of the whole settlement. Do you think she's mute?"

"That's… not what I meant. Do you have a favorite, one you like more? I like Tela; you know I go for the dark and silent types." Duo said, winking at him.

Heero blinked. That was… forward. "Duo, if that's supposed to be a –" He was cut off by a knock at the door.

Well, at least this time there was a knock.

"Duo? Heero?" Fey's voice drifted through the door.

"We're here, Fey." Duo called.

"Kel and I would like to invite you both to dinner with us, if you have no other plans."

_/ "If we have no other plans"? What do these people think we're doing?_Duo sent to Heero. "Sure! Give us a sec." He called, jumping up from his chair. He looked at Heero, who had yet to move. "Well, come on, let's go! We really don't want to miss free food."

"Is that all you ever think about?" Heero asked dryly as he found himself being dragged out of his chair for the second time that day. He was starting to miss solo work. **"**Food?**"**

"Nope." Duo replied, heading towards the door. "I only think about good food."

11111111111111111111111111111111111

How was it?

Sorry, I think this is a bit short, but I wanted to get something out. I AM NOT DEAD. Actually, you can thank my SAT Prep course on Sundays for this chapter, as I was able to write while waiting for the others to finish their tests.

Umm, does anyone have any suggestions as to what they may like to happen in the story? I have a basic idea of where it is going, but I'm open to any ideas that may fit into the plot.

I am also working on a oneshot based around Kitten (Death's Daughter), if anyone is even remotely interested. That should be coming out sometime in the future.

I'll try to update as soon as possible, but my writing is coming very, very slowly as of right now. Sorry!

DarkLady


	6. Chapter 5

Hello again!

I'm very glad so many people liked the last chapter! I personally didn't think it was that great, but if all of you out there liked it then it couldn't have been that bad…

A big thanks to PATTY 40, Indi-Scarga, Serenity Maxwell, Jjinks, moonpixi, deppforever07, and tyleet88 who all reviewed the last chapter. THANKS!!!!

A special thanks goes to moonpixi, who faithfully betas this fic and tries very hard to manage my writing to make sure I get everything out in a timely manner, and whom I can bounce ideas off of. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these anymore? I don't own Gundam Wing. Period.

Enjoy!

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Guardian

"_What do you think?"_

_Duo felt himself turn to look at Quatre. "The wind… carries death." He murmured._

_Where had_ that _come from? He didn't speak like that_.

"_Are we too late?" Quatre asked._

_He tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps."_

_Quatre's eyes hardened. "Then perhaps we should repay them in kind." He hissed._

No, that's not Quatre. Quatre couldn't achieve that look if he tried…

_And yet, he felt himself nodding._

_Then the wind screamed at him–_

"_They're coming, Ca–"_

"Duo! WAKE UP!"

Duo opened his eyes. . .

To find Heero holding him by his shoulders and shaking him. He stopped as soon as Duo's eyes opened.

"Hi?" Duo asked, still trying to wake up.

Heero sighed and dropped him in disgust. "You sleep like a _rock_, Duo. I've been trying to wake you for ten minutes. How did you survive the war? I'm surprised you didn't sleep through it."

Duo shrugged. "I wish you had woken me up earlier. I had this really weird dream, where I was with Quatre, only he wasn't Quatre, and we were doing… um… something…"

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Not _that_, Ro. I think it was tracking something, or somethings, and then I think that whatever we were tracking was going to attack us, or something was going to attack us, anyway; then you woke me up." Duo shuddered.

"You were with… a Quatre who wasn't Quatre." Heero stated.

"Yeah!" Duo said enthusiastically.

The other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"Umm… it's kind of hard to explain." Duo said sheepishly.

"Do try."

Duo thought back to the dream. "Well, he looked exactly like Quatre, but he was very cold and mean looking. Quatre… can't look cold or mean, even if he wanted too."

Heero sighed. "I think he could surprise you. Now get up, Duo. You're going to miss breakfast."

Duo jumped up. "Like _Hell_." He retorted, shoving Heero out of the room. "Now let me get dressed." He raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Unless you want to watch…?"

Heero grabbed the door and shut it.

_/ I will never understand him, Virginia. /_

_: Do you have to? I don't think Duo _can_ be understood. :_

_/ It would be easier if I did. /_

_: Do you really think so:_

Heero sighed, looking at the closed door. _/ A mean Quatre… kind of describes Calem. /_

_: Calem was never mean. He actually reminds me of Duo. Couldn't be serious to save his life, a touch insane… :_

_/ Do you know anything about the dream he had? Why would he see Calem, if that was who he saw/_

: If the dream was sent, then it was not by me. I can tell you that it was not prophetic in any way. But… :

_/ …But/_

_: Prophetic dreams are not the only kinds of dreams that can be sent. Be careful, Guardian. :_

11111111111111111111111

"Th' foad hre 's erry goo."

"Chew and swallow, Duo."

He complied. "I said 'The food here is very good.'"

Heero simply sighed. He had finished eating ten minutes ago. Duo however was now on his thirds.

"You eat a lot."

Heero blinked at this reflection of his own thoughts. He looked up to see Tlea standing next to their table with her hands clasped behind her back looking at Duo. Her ever-present shadow Tela was actually not around for once.

Duo grinned up at her. "Of course I do. How else do keep up my never dwindling energy supply?"

"If it's never dwindling, why would you need to keep it up?" She asked curiously.

"Umm…"

Heero sighed yet again. It seemed like he did that a lot around Duo. "How can we help you, Tlea?" he asked.

"Well," she started, pulling out a chair to sit down with them, "in two weeks I am going to visit my uncle, who lives in the capital, Taliama. I wanted to know if you two wanted to come with me."

"Is Blackie going?" Duo asked.

Silence. Heero and Tlea stared at him.

"'Blackie'?" Tlea finally asked.

Duo laughed a bit sheepishly. "Oops! Did I really say that? I've been referring to Tela that way in my mind and you as Whitey, to, you know, tell you two apart."

They continued to stare at him.

Duo just shrugged. "Well, is she coming?"

He thought he saw just the slightest bit of a frown flit across Tlea's face. "No, Tela's not coming with me."

Duo's eyes lit up. "She should come! It will be lots and lots of fun!"

_ Damn. He probably won't drop it… _

Duo blinked. "Sorry?"

Tlea looked at him in confusion. "For what?"

"Did you just say something?" He asked.

She looked at Heero, who simply shrugged. "No, I didn't." She answered.

Okay, I must be loosing it… though Heero would say I already have… 

"Well, can she come?" Duo asked again, changing the subject.

Tlea nodded. "I'll ask her." She said, standing up. "But I can't guarantee anything. Enjoy the rest of your meal."

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111

(Two weeks later)

"So this time we're going to be staying in settlements at night, right?" Duo asked dryly. "Not attempting to shelter next to rocks?"

"Right." Tlea answered. "Just because you two suicidal idiots did things the hard way doesn't mean that_ we_ are going to do the same thing. Dying at night is not on my list of things to do."

Tela simply scratched the ears of her yamaru, looking up at them. The question had been directed at her.

For what felt like the six billionth time since they had come to Milish, Heero sighed.

Duo had been trying to get Tela to speak ever since the twins had met them that morning with the fuzzy llama/horse-like creatures they called "yamarus". However, every time Duo spoke to Tela, Tlea would jump in to answer or to try to draw the conversation towards her.

_/ I'm going to kill Tlea. /_

_/ That's a bit extreme, Duo. Do you not have someone who is willing to talk to you now/ _

_/ But that's just it! I'm getting the weirdest feeling that she doesn't want to talk to me; she just doesn't want me to talk to Tela. /_

_/ Then how about you shut up so none of us have to speak/_

_/ Thank you. /_

_/ … That was very mean, Heero. /_

_/ You're always telling me I should joke more. /_

_/ That … was a joke/_

_/ Hai. /_

_/ O God… /_

Heero smiled to himself as Duo fell into what seemed like a disturbed silence.

Suddenly he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to find Tela holding out a canteen with water in it. She handed it to him.

He raised an eyebrow and drank from it. The water tasted sweet, but Virginia raised no alarm like she had on the few occasions he had been given something drugged or poisoned, so he figured it was pure water.

It really was amazing how much his predecessor watched out for him…

He finished and handed the canteen back to Tela with a nod of thanks and received a nod of acceptance in return.

Duo sighed as he watched the two interact. They really were two of a kind.

111111111111111111111111111111111

"As you can see, Taliama is much bigger than Icchi."

"Indeed." Heero stated dryly as he watched Duo, who was looking around with a spark of mischief in his eyes that Heero did not like one bit.

"Taliama is also the only true city we have. The other places are all just settlements." Tlea continued, leading them all through the city with practiced ease.

As they traveled on, Tlea pointed out things she thought they should know, and gave them bits of information about different places. As they walked, they passed a very crowded square near the center of the city. A man was up on a high balcony, giving a speech.

_: I see his death. :_

Heero blinked, then stopped and stared. "Who is that?" He asked.

Tlea looked. "This is High Square, where all the speeches, decrees, etc. are done. That is the High Associate."

"High Associate?" Heero asked.

"Our government is run by a High Council. Each Councilor is elected from one of the eleven provinces. Out of those eleven, one is elected to be High Associate. That one has the ultimate authority in everything." Tlea said.

"He looks young." Duo observed.

Tlea shrugged. "He is. He is actually one of the youngest High Associates we've had." She began to walk away. "Come on. Our uncle's house is this way."

Tela and Duo immediately went to follow her. Heero remained still for a few more seconds, watching.

_: It won't be long now. :_

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Well? You all like?

Another special thanks goes out to my brother, who ate two waffles covered in twizlers and one drenched in syrup to help me discover how "The food here is very good" sounds with a full mouth.

Reviews are much appreciated!

DarkLady


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